Go Bowling at The Glen: Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen, NY – September 15, 2024
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG
START: 5TH STAGE ONE: 5TH STAGE TWO: 23RD FINISH: 10TH POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric recorded a solid 10th-place finish at Watkins Glen International – the first of two road courses in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – and currently sits third in the postseason standings, 43 points above the elimination line heading into the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway. Cindric qualified fifth and hovered around that position for the opening stint, scoring six Stage points with a fifth-place finish in Stage 1. He informed the Autotrader team that his car was a bit on the tight side and headed to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The No. 2 Ford Mustang restarted 24th as a plethora of other cars visited pit road prior to the end of the Stage. It was a relatively calm second segment, as Cindric remained around that position until returning to pit road with just a few laps remaining in the Stage. Shortly after the stop, a caution slowed the field and the segment ended under yellow with Cindric being scored 23rd. The 26-year-old driver lined up 16th for the restart of what would be a chaotic dash to the checkered flag. Various incidents brought out the yellow flag, but Cindric and the No. 2 team continued to gain position, ultimately securing a top-10 finish as the series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the third and final race in the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “The No. 2 Autotrader team did a great job bringing a fast car to the track and we were able to execute well enough to get a good finish and solid points. We were probably a little bit better than 10th, but collecting points is really important the first couple rounds. There was a little bit of stress in just trying to make sure the car was straight on all those restarts, but overall, we had great speed in our Ford Mustang.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 30TH STAGE ONE: 38TH STAGE TWO: 38TH FINISH: 38TH POINTS: 8TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Pennzoil Ford Mustang’s day came to an early end after getting caught up in a multi-car incident on the opening lap Sunday at Watkins Glen. As the field made its way through the bus stop for the first time, contact between the Nos. 7 and 8 sent cars spinning as Blaney slowed to avoid but ultimately made contact with the No. 6 who checked up ahead of him, causing damage to the left front. Blaney reported an issue with the steering column while stopped at the exit of the bus stop, necessitating a tow back to the garage which signaled the end to the 12-team’s afternoon. With the 38th-place result, Blaney drops to eighth in the playoffs standings but remains 29 points above the cut line heading into the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I don’t even know what happened, honestly. We stacked up and I caught someone in the left front and it completely broke the steering. I don’t know if we could have fixed it. But that is the frustrating part, just didn’t even give us a chance and just ended our day without even letting us look at it before it is in the garage. It’s unfortunate. We’ll go on to Bristol next week.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 7TH STAGE ONE: 17TH STAGE TWO: 3RD FINISH: 15TH POINTS: 1ST (ADV)
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano raced his way to a 15th-place finish Sunday at Watkins Glen coming off last week’s win at Atlanta to advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Logano kept the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford in and around the top-10 for a majority of the opening stage before he was called to pit road with three laps to go in the first segment to gain track position heading into Stage 2 as he lined up fourth for the ensuing restart. As the field was coming to two to go in the stage with Logano running third and the leaders planning to pit before the stage end, the caution flag flew as the 22-team settled for a third-place finish in the second segment. The 22-team made the call to not pit during the stage caution in order to maintain track position as Logano battled to keep cars behind him on fresher tires. A caution on lap 47 prompted crew chief Paul Wolfe to bring Logano to pit road on the edge of their fuel window to make it to the end, setting Logano up to restart 25th with 41 laps to go. As the green flag pit cycle began with 30 to go, Logano worked his way to the lead with 22 laps remaining while working to hold off the Nos. 71 and 5 who were on similar strategies. Logano was brought to pit road with 12 to go for his final stop of the day and was on his out lap when the caution came out, allowing him to jump a group of cars that opted to pit under yellow. After lining up 16th for the following restart with seven to go, a pair of cautions set up a green-white-checkered finish as Logano fought his way to a 15th-place finish.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Solid day for us overall. Obviously, we’re racing for playoff points coming off the win last week and we were in position to take Stage 2 before the caution forced us to settle for third. Our strategy at the end got us out front in clean air but we just weren’t able to work our way back through the field in those last few restarts.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the final race of the Round of 16 on Saturday, September 21. Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
